


Raising Peter

by Burr_Shot_First



Series: Growing Up Udonta [1]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy - All Media Types
Genre: Big Brother Kraglin, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Kid Peter Quill, Papa Yondu, Parent Yondu Udonta, Parent-Child Relationship, Pre-Canon, Pre-Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Protective Yondu, Spanking, Teen Kraglin, Yondu is a pretty okay dad actually, Young Peter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-11-02 02:46:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10935381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burr_Shot_First/pseuds/Burr_Shot_First
Summary: Peter is four years old when Yondu kidnaps him. Because Centaurians don't age as quickly as humans do, Yondu thinks he's much younger. He decides to keep the kid and raise him as a Ravager. Kraglin and friends help.Basically, this is just an excuse for me to write baby Peter, dad Yondu, and lots of fluff.





	1. Chapter 1

When the boy first came, Yondu didn’t have any qualms about handing him over to his father. The man paid well, so the kid would clearly be well-cared for. And yet... In the back of his head, he felt uncomfortable. He’d done several similar jobs for the man before, and while it was possible the man had that many children scattered throughout the galaxy, it seemed pretty unlikely. Peter was number three... So he decided to call Ego one more time to confirm the drop-off- and to put his worries to bed. When he’d casually asked after the other children, Ego had seemed surprised, before quickly covering. 

“Oh, yes, the children are very excited to meet their new brother. I’ve got to go now, Ezra’s calling! I’ll wire you the details, all right?” As he hung up, Yondu felt uneasy. Something wasn’t right, but he’d already accepted the job. 

So, when the boy came on board, he waited a couple days to announce that the Ego deal had fallen through. He quickly followed the news by saying he had another score lined up practically on the other side of the galaxy. Then he worked on figuring out a score good enough to warrant going to the other side of the galaxy. 

In the back of his head, he told himself he’d drop the kid off with a nice family as soon as they got the chance. 

The first few days were hard. The boy seemed almost feral at first, and he’d bitten, kicked, or hit most of the crew at least once. Out of all the children Yondu had ferried on his ship, Peter took to it the worst (initially). Of course, Terrans were a closed society, with most of them having no knowledge of aliens, so Yondu figured the whole experience had to be jarring. 

Some of the crew were upset by his outbursts, but it had taken only a short whistle to convince them that hurting the kid wasn’t in their best interests. Besides, though the kid was scrappy, he was still pretty tiny. He hadn’t really hurt them- except with the biting. He’d actually drawn blood on Yondu’s arm, and it had taken everything in him not to shout at the boy or hit him. But he was just a kid, and while he probably should know better, he’d just lost his whole world.

It didn’t help that the only one of them the kid could understand was Yondu, since he didn’t have a translation implant and none of the rest of the crew spoke English. Yondu didn’t want to have the translator implanted until the kid trusted them more- or they dropped him off with someone. Although he was starting to question the wisdom of that plan. By not dropping the kid with Ego, he’d kind of endangered him- there was nowhere in the galaxy safe from a pissed-off Celestial. 

The only thing he could think of to keep the kid safe from his father was to keep him moving- the kid might have a better childhood if he dropped him off with the Nova Corp, but it would probably be a shorter one. 

Yondu found himself frequently having to restrain the boy to keep him from hurting himself or anyone else. He’d tried delegating the responsibility of watching the kid to Kraglin, but in a rare display of disobedience, the younger man had quietly refused. Yondu didn’t really blame him, considering the ‘little ankle-biter’ had quite literally bitten Kraglin on the ankle. There was no one besides Kraglin he trusted not to really hurt the kid, so Peter became his responsibility. 

Yondu had tried several times to engage the boy in conversation, but they all fell flat. The small kid would just look at him with a mixture of fear, sadness, and betrayal in his eyes. And in a way, Yondu felt for the kid, he really did. His mother had just died, and he’d been taken from his home planet with no idea as to why. When he found the boy quietly sobbing into his pillow one night, he knew something had to change. 

“Hey, boy,” Yondu said softly, sitting on the edge of the futon Peter was currently lying on. 

“’M not ‘boy,’” he mumbled. Yondu chuckled. “’S just a nickname. You wanna talk?” The boy said nothing, and Yondu sighed. “Look, I know you miss your Mama, and your planet, and I’m real sorry about that,” he said finally. Peter finally looked up at him, tears shining in his red-rimmed eyes. 

“Take me back,” he begged. Yondu had to choose his words carefully. Even the crew had no idea about Ego, and Yondu certainly wasn’t going to scar the poor boy with the details of his parentage. “There’s a bad man who wanted me to take you to him to hurt you. I ain’t gonna let him, but he’s probably still lookin’ for ya. I can’t take you back, Peter. He’d come right to get you, and you wouldn’t be safe.” Peter frowned. 

“Safe?” “Yeah. I know it seems rough here, and well, it is. But I ain’t gonna let anyone hurtcha. That’s a promise, all right?” Peter nodded hesitantly. “Hey, how old are you?” Yondu asked, now that he’d gotten the boy sort of talking. 

“Four,” Peter said, jutting his chin out proudly. Yondu’s eyes widened. “I knew you was a small kid, but four years old? Yer just a baby!” Peter glared at him. 

“Not a baby,” he insisted. Yondu squinted at him. On his home planet, Peter would be considered an infant, just recently having learned to walk. Centaurians weren’t considered adults until around 30 years old. Even if Terran years were different, he had to be really young even by their standards. That was the kid’s problem, Yondu realized. They’d been treating him like an angry kid rather than a tantruming toddler. Yondu knew small kids needed a lot of attention; attention Peter hadn’t exactly been getting. 

“’S all right, Pete. You're gonna be okay here, I promise.” Peter chewed on his thumb a moment before suddenly launching himself at Yondu. Yondu was afraid for a moment that the kid was going to get violent again, but he was pleasantly surprised when Peter cuddled up to him for a hug. _Of all the..._ He knew then that he was completely, utterly screwed. 

Early the next day, he convinced the kid to get a translator implant. He whined a bit, but obediently stayed still while Doc stuck him with the chip. It took effect almost immediately, and Peter looked on in amazement when the strange noises and sounds Doc made were suddenly decipherable. Yondu was relieved; he’d grown tired of speaking English over the past few days. 

“I can understand!” Peter exclaimed. That day, kid happily followed Yondu around like a little puppy. The novelty of understanding the rest of the Ravagers seemed to distract him from his sadness. Most of the crew seemed relatively surprised at the happy kid clinging to the end of Yondu’s coat, taking in his surroundings in awe. They’d seen the boy’s awful fits the past few days; at one point Yondu had had to spend several hours doing his work on the ship with the boy slung over his shoulder just to keep him from attacking anyone. 

“What’d you do, sedate him, Cap’n?” Kraglin asked, amazed. Yondu shrugged. 

“He was just throwin’ tantrums, ya know. Kids his age do that.” 

“What age is that?” Kraglin asked curiously. 

“Four!” Peter piped proudly. Kraglin gasped. 

“Four years old? He’s just a baby, Cap’n!” Peter stuck his tongue out at him. 

“Am not!” Kraglin scooped him up, and while Peter seemed a little confused, he was still giggling. 

“Aw, of course you’re not a baby, li’l man. You’re a big boy, aren’tcha?” Peter seemed to feel vaguely patronized, but apparently the novelty of being held outweighed his complaints. Yondu smirked. 

“I thought you didn’t like kids, Kraglin.” Kraglin nearly blushed. “Well, I like ‘em fine when they ain’t bitin’ me! But you didn’t know better, didja buddy? You’re just a little guy,” Kraglin crooned. Yondu would have teased him more if he wasn’t feeling similarly towards the kid. And looking at the genuine smile on the boy’s face made him willing to put up with some mushy stuff. The boy deserved to be happy. 

They walked onto the bridge, Peter still giggling at whatever Kraglin was telling him. When he moved to sit down at his post, however, Peter started to wriggle out of his arms. 

“Aw, Petey, I thought we was friends now!” Kraglin complained. Peter laughed and ran towards Yondu, arms raised. The rest of the crew watched in half-amusement, half-shock. After a brief pause, Yondu obliged and picked the kid up, settling him in his lap. 

“He’s four years old, just a baby. You wanna put up with his cryin’?” Yondu asked the crew. They all quickly shook their heads, and from that moment on, nobody mentioned Yondu babying him. It was odd seeing the captain with a toddler, but it kinda made sense. Ravagers didn’t deal in kids- and okay, they’d kind of broken that rule, but Ravagers don’t hurt kids. Like Yondu, most of the rest of the crew had assumed he was a young kid, but self-sufficient to some degree. They hadn’t realized just how young he was, and it made them a lot more tolerable of the tantrums they’d been subjected to. Some of them even took a liking to them, like Cook. Even Horuz tolerated his presence- to a degree. Yondu had only had to threaten to kill him twice to get him to stop pickin’ on the boy, which he considered excellent progress. 

“You gonna keep him?” Kraglin asked later that night. Yondu shrugged. 

“Figured maybe we’d drop him off with the Nova Corp when we got a chance.” He could always delay that. 

“You know... kid’s scrappy. And he’s little. Might be good for thievin’,” Kraglin said casually. Yondu glared.

“What the hell are you tryin’ to do, huh?” he demanded. Kraglin stepped away, eyebrows raised but extending his hands in a placating manner. 

“Whoa. I ain’t tryin’ to do anything. ‘S just... You’re good with him. He seems good for you.” He walked away before Yondu could respond. The worst part was, Kraglin was right. Yondu _had_ gotten fond of the kid.

Fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a week or so after Peter came that Yondu realized the boy had no toys. He’d taken a shine to both Yondu and Kraglin, but he was still painfully shy and hadn’t even asked to play with any of Yondu’s trinkets.  


Yondu found the boy playing with a knife he’d found under the bed and had freaked out.  


“Peter, honey, put that down real nice and slow, all right? Can you do that for me?” he asked, trying not to panic. The baby didn’t know any better, and if he freaked out, he was afraid the kid might follow suit and cut himself. Peter looked at him curiously, but obediently placed the knife gently on the floor. He’d been carefully carving designs into Yondu’s headboard- Yondu wasn’t thrilled about that either, but one thing at a time. 

“Good boy, Petey. See, knives and weapons and stuff are dangerous. They ain’t for little boys to play with, ya hear me?” Peter nodded again, and Yondu was proud that he hadn’t shouted at all.  


“’Kay,” Peter said agreeably. Uncharacteristically, Yondu pulled him into a hug. Yeah, it was mushy stuff, but he’d been terrified the kid was going to hurt himself. And the kid thrived off of hugs- if he started to get upset about anything, hugs were almost an instant mood booster for the kid. Giving him hugs prevented violent tantrums and screaming, honestly. By hugging the boy, he was just doing himself and the rest of the crew a favor. That’s what he told himself.  


Anyway, with the kid resorting to playing with knives, he figured he had to pick up some more age-appropriate toys to keep him occupied. And clothes- the kid had been going around in one of Yondu’s big shirts while his single set of clothes was washed. And while he was at it, he probably needed a decent pair of shoes, too. And a coat...  


Yondu wasn’t getting soft for the boy or anything. He was just taking care of him, same as he did any other Ravager, any other member of his crew. The thought was so ridiculous that he laughed. Yeah, he was basically adopting the kid, and his reputation was probably definitely screwed.  


“Listen good boy, ‘cause this is important. We gotta get you some clothes and stuff, ‘kay? But you gotta be a good boy for me. If you listen real good, I’ll getcha a toy. Deal?” Yondu was a little afraid of how the boy would behave in public. He’d been a perfect angel for him the past couple of weeks, but he knew that was likely to change as the kid got more comfortable. Peter grinned, throwing his arms around Yondu, who rolled his eyes. Give the kid a single bit of kindness, and he’d love you forever. Ridiculous. He used the kid’s good mood to convince him to leave the weird music player behind. Yondu still didn’t know exactly how it worked, but in a crowded port like Knowhere, he knew there was a decent chance it could get broken or atolen.  


Peter held Yondu’s hand tightly as they left the port of Knowhere. Yondu would have gotten him a toy regardless, but it was nice that the bribe kept the boy obedient. He rifled through clothing in one of the few trading stations that had children’s clothing.  


“Need some help?” A humanoid purple woman asked kindly. Yondu considered telling her to fuck off, then shrugged. He _did_ need the help.  


“Need some clothes for my boy. You know how it is, they grow like weeds,” he lied easily. The woman gave them a sympathetic nod and began helping them pick out clothes.  


“Oh, yes, that looks very nice. The green matches his eyes,” she told them, smiling.  


“Whatcha got there, Pete?” Yondu asked curiously. The boy hadn’t shown much interest in any of the clothes so far, but he was holding something red. Yondu bit back a laugh. The kid was holding a red jacket at least two sizes too big, similar in color to the coats the Ravagers wore. He held it out to Yondu expectantly. “Don’t you think that’s a bit big?” Peter shook his head, looking unimpressed by this logic. Then, he remembered to ask nicely- it seemed his mother had worked hard at instilling manners in him.  


“Please?” he asked. And really, it was the only thing the boy had really asked for, and how could Yondu deny him that? Besides, he looked darn cute in it.  


As they walked to the toy shop, Peter skipped happily beside Yondu, and Yondu took care to keep a firm hold on his shirt collar. He didn’t want to lose the boy, especially in this crowd. The kid could be slipperier than an eel when he wanted.  


“Alright, here we are. Take a look around, see what you like,” Yondu told him. “You can pick two.” Peter looked to him for quick confirmation and once he got Yondu’s nod, he raced around the aisles of the small store. He looked at dolls and trinkets, doodads and knickknacks. Finally, he settled on a stuffed fox-type animal and a bag of blocks. Yondu had expected him to go for the remote control M-ship, or the game Pad, but he must’ve wanted something familiar. “That whatchu want?” Peter nodded, a brilliant smile on his face. Yondu smirked, and when the boy wasn’t looking, he grabbed a few of the other things the kid had been looking at. He wasn’t spoiling the boy, of course not. They’d be doled out as rewards or bribery when appropriate.  


The toys were definitely the right call. Peter played happily at his feet on the bridge, keeping himself occupied while Yondu was actually able to get work done. Kids behaved when they had something to do- who knew?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't really a fan of this chapter, but I've been struggling with organizing what I've written so far. This work might end up being a combination of chapters with continuing stories and one-shots. Anyway, I'll try to update soon. Thank you all for the love and support! Your comments inspire me to write faster!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Peter is settling in on the Eclector, he begins to wonder if Yondu is his dad. When he asks, Yondu struggles to give him a good answer.

_Your daddy was an angel, Peter,_ his Mama had told him. _One of these days, your father will come pick you up._ Peter wondered if Yondu was his daddy. He fit the description, after all. He wasn’t exactly an angel, but he had come down from the heavens. Peter’s Mama died, and then Yondu came to pick him up, lickety-split. It made sense, kind of, but Peter was too afraid to ask. Plus, Yondu would have told him if he was his daddy, right? Peter decided to watch and wait. The only problem was that he was super-duper curious, and not terribly patient, either.

One of the biggest points in favor of Yondu being his dad was his voice. Peter knew that the only reason he heard English was the translator in his head, but Yondu talked just like Peter’s Mama had. Well, like a more foul-mouthed version of Peter’s Mama, but still. Their accents were the same. Plus, he knew English, so it was likely he’d been on Terra- _Earth_ \- before he’d come to get Peter. That must be where he’d met Peter’s Mama!

Another factor to be considered was that Yondu was always _nice_ to Peter. He soothed him after a nightmare, reassured him the crew wouldn't eat him, and he let Peter hide under his great big coat. Yondu could be gruff at times, and he could be real scary when he wanted to be- to the Ravagers. Never towards Peter. Still, being nice didn't mean he was his dad. Kraglin was nice, and Kraglin was _definitely_ not his daddy. So Peter decided to keep waiting.

Then, Yondu called him _son._

Maybe it meant nothing. But the way he’d said it...

Peter was hanging upside down from one of the bars in the hanger bay. He liked all the ships in there, but he also liked the large, open area. He sort of treated it like a playground, where he could run and climb on things. There might not be trees in space, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t climb.

“Get down from there, son!” Yondu hollered. Peter was too distracted by the word ‘son’ to worry about Yondu being mad. He might have written it off as just a nickname, except Yondu looked _scared_. Maybe he was scared enough that he’d let slip a secret?

“Was just playin’,” Peter mumbled, but he slipped down obediently. Yondu pulled him roughly into a hug.

“Don’tchu do that again,” he said sternly.

“All right,” Peter said with just a hint of whine, but inwardly, he was grinning. _Yondu had called him son._

 

“Hey, Yondu?” Peter asked later that night. Yondu had had a few drinks and was looking quite comfortable in the captain’s chair. Peter was feeling particularly brave.

“Yeah, boy?” he asked. Peter took a deep breath.

“Are you my daddy?” Yondu froze, then slowly turned his head to look at Peter. “’S just, you talk like my Mama did, and she said my daddy would come pick me up one day, and then after she died you came and got me... And then earlier you called me ‘son.’” Peter looked down at his feet, biting anxiously at his fingers, and Yondu sighed.

“I ain’t your daddy, kid,” he said, a little sadly, like he knew he was letting Peter down. “I don’t know who he is.” Peter suddenly felt like he might cry, and he hid his face in his knees so Yondu wouldn’t see his tears. “Hey.” Yondu tipped his chin up gently so they were looking each other eye to eye. “Maybe I ain’t your daddy, kid. But family don’t end in blood.” Peter looked at him a little hesitantly. He wasn’t sure if he understood.

“You’re not my daddy?” he asked, lip quivering. Yondu pulled him into his lap.

“I ain’t your real father. But I could be- what’s the word for it?...”

“Adopted?” Peter suggested.

“Right. I could be like your adopted father,” Yondu said uncertainly. When Peter buried his head into Yondu’s chest, though, he knew he’d said the right thing.

“I’m adopted,” he said reverently. “Just like Anne of Green Cables.” Yondu nodded.

“Just like Anne of Green Cables,” he agreed, though he had no idea who that was.

“She’s a little girl that gets adopted. She even got red hair like me- and she hits people who tease her!” Yondu snorted.

“Yeah, sounds just like you. She live in Green Cables?” Peter shrugged.

“I don’t remember. Maybe she’s a mechanic, like Shaz, and she likes green?” Yondu had almost zero knowledge of Terran culture, and even he knew that Peter remembering the story correctly was unlikely.

“I bet that’s exactly what it was,” Yondu agreed.

The next day, the kid chattered to anyone who would listen about how he was adopted. Naturally, his crew full of tough, hard-hearted Ravagers all cooed at the boy, displaying appropriate amounts of enthusiasm to match the kid's.

“If Yondu’s my adopted father, then I think Kraglin is my adopted brother,” he said thoughtfully at dinner that night. Kraglin actually spat out his ale.

“ _What?”_ he said. The crew glared at him. “Uh, I mean, that’s right, Petey. Tha’s exactly right. We’re brothers,” he agreed uneasily. Kraglin loved the kid, sure, but agreeing to be a big brother? That was a little too far outside of his comfort zone.

“It’s natural for kids his age to obsess over family like this,” Yondu muttered to him. “He’ll drop the ‘big brother’ thing soon.” He knew Kraglin got funny about the topic of family. He didn’t talk about it much, but Yondu figured Kraglin’s family had to be pretty shitty for him to join the Ravagers at age sixteen.

Kraglin sighed. The kid just wanted a family, and Kraglin was being a jackass.

“It’s fine. I’ll get used to it,” he said wryly. “Not like he don’t hang offa me like a kid brother, anyway.” Yondu clapped him on the shoulder, silent thanks for being a good sport.

“And everyone else must be my adopted uncles,” Peter was saying excitedly. “And aunts,” he added quickly, eyeing Sparta, who laughed good-naturedly.

As Peter drifted off to sleep that night, he thought he was pretty lucky. 

_Maybe Yondu isn’t my daddy,_ Peter thought. _But he’s a pretty good Papa._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning is pretty rambling, but that's intentional- me trying to write stream of consciousness for a four year old haha. Since this chapter is a little shorter, I'll try and update sooner to make up for it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, so there are mentions of spanking in this chapter. There will probably be spanking in later chapters- I'll tag for that and give warnings accordingly. Please keep in mind that this is a fictional story, about fictional characters. So if you feel like commenting something mean or nasty, please don't :).

“ _Peter Jason Quill_ ,” Yondu bellowed. The boy in question cringed. “What do you think you’re doin’?” The boy in question was surrounded by broken glass, and his arms were held guiltily behind his back. Yondu could just make out a blaster, and _who the hell was stupid enough to leave one lying around where the kid could get to it?_ Obviously the kid had figured out how to fire it.

“I- I was-”

“You coulda killed yourself, boy!” Yondu exclaimed as he stepped closer, taking in the mess. Peter bit his lip, looking like he might cry, before suddenly turning around and running. “Peter!” Yondu yelled, but it was too late. Irritably, he called someone on the comms to come clean up the hallway before searching for the kid.

“What’s wrong, Cap’n? Where’s the kid?” Kraglin asked when he saw him on the bridge. Yondu sighed.

“I caught him messing around with a blaster, and I yelled at him a bit and he ran off.” Kraglin looked scandalized.

“You yelled at him, Cap’n?” Yondu suddenly felt defensive.

“Well, he’s gotta know he can’t just play with weapons!”

“But he’s just a baby, Captain. He didn’t know any better,” Kraglin reasoned. Yondu snorted.

“I already told him once he ain't supposed to touch weapons. He knew he was doing somethin' wrong.” Kraglin frowned.

“Well, still, you shouldn’t yell at him, sir,” Kraglin said reproachfully. If it had been anyone else criticizing him, Yondu might have threatened to run him through, but he just gave an irritated grunt.

“Well, what the hell else am I supposed to do? Just let the kid blow his damn head off?” Yondu asked irritably. Kraglin shook his head, looking a little sheepish.

“Look, Cap’n, I was lookin’ into some Terran parenting books, and-” Yondu laughed before he could finish. “Captain, if we’re keeping him, you gotta know some stuff about Terran kids- and, well, there’s a couple things they suggested. You can give ‘im a time out, or-”

“What the hell is a time-out?” Yondu interrupted curiously.

“Well, you make him sit in a chair or a corner for a couple minutes to think about what he done wrong. It’s s’posed to be one minute for how old he is, so four minutes ‘cause he’s four.” Yondu nodded. It made sense, kinda. The boy always had to be movin’, so he’d probably find sitting still a few minutes terribly boring. “’Course, you could always spank him, but I think he’s too little for that... you gotta remember he’s just a baby, Captain.” Yondu rolled his eyes.

“I know he’s little. But I sure as hell ain’t gonna have him hurting hisself.”

“Well, still. Don’t hit him, Captain,” Kraglin all but pleaded. Yondu laughed.

“Just a few days ago you was beggin’ me to throw him off the ship. Now you’re soft on him?” Kraglin’s face didn’t change. “All right, I know he’s tiny. I ain’t gonna hurt him none.” Kraglin seemed satisfied with this explanation.

“Oh, and Captain, you’re never, ever s’posed to yell at kids. It makes ‘em scared, and it’s prolly why he ran off,” Kraglin added, in a slightly self-superior tone. Yondu gave him the finger but filed the information away for later use before setting off once again to find the kid.

He wasn’t in their room, or Kraglin’s, or the mess. Where could he be? Suddenly, he started hearing soft cries. He narrowed his eyes. There’s no way- _could the kid have gotten in the vents?_   “Peter?” he called softly. “Peter, you up there?” The kid didn’t respond, but his cries became a little louder.

Grumbling under his breath, Yondu found the nearest grate and opened it. The boy was just inside; he hadn’t gone far. “Come on, Petey, come on outta there, all right?” Peter tried to respond, but he was crying so hard the only word Yondu could make out was “mad.” “I ain’t mad atcha boy, you just damn near scared me to death. Come on out and we’ll talk, okay?” Slowly, Peter crawled towards the vent and let Yondu pick him up. Yondu frowned, seeing that the kid’s foot was bloody. “Aw, you cut your foot on the glass, didn’tcha? We’ll go to my room and we’ll get ya cleaned up,” he promised. Sniffling, Peter nodded. He didn’t seem quite ready to speak yet.

Yondu set him gently on the bed, bustling around to find a wet rag, antiseptic, and a bandage. “Here you go, bud. Hold that for me?” Yondu asked, handing him the bandage. Peter liked to feel helpful, and he thought it might perk him up a bit. The kid started crying again once Yondu cleaned the wound, but thankfully, he stayed still so Yondu was able to finish quickly. “Now we gotta talk, li’l man, all right?” Peter nodded sadly. “You know why I was upset when I found you with that blaster?” Peter frowned.

“Broke stuff.” Yondu shook his head.

“Naw, kid. I was upset ‘cause you coulda hurt yourself pretty bad. And you did get hurt, with the glass.” Peter looked confused. “Hey, messes can be cleaned up, but I only got one Petey, don’t I?” Peter smiled a bit at that. “Now, I know you knew you wasn’t supposed to touch that blaster. You ain’t allowed to touch any of the weapons. So, you’re fixin’ to go sit in that chair in the corner and think about why playing with blasters is dangerous, and why you ain’t gonna do it again. Got it?” Peter nodded, still looking forlorn, so Yondu pulled him into a quick hug. “Just three minutes, then you’re done. Go on, now,” he said, giving the boy a gently push. Sure, Kraglin had said four, but Kraglin wasn’t looking at the boy’s sad face, now was he?

When his time was up, Yondu picked the sniffling boy up and sat down on the bed, placing him in his lap.

“Sorry I was bad, Papa,” Peter mumbled, and Yondu held his breath for a moment. The kid didn’t seem to have realized what he’d just called him, so, not wanting to make a big deal out of it, Yondu ignored the word for the moment.

"You ain’t bad, son. Just sometimes a little troublemaker,” Yondu teased, tickling the kid’s side. Peter leaned into the touch, giggling. “Now listen. I don’t wanna find you with a blaster again, ya hear? I see you touching any sort of weapon without my explicit permission, I’ll spank you. Understand?” Peter nodded, biting his lip. Yondu softened. “Hey, be my good boy and you ain’t gotta worry about it.” Yondu cuddled him close and sighed. He’d never really wanted to settle down and have a family, but this kid- the boy reminded him of himself at that age, lost, confused, someone who’d been dealt a shit hand of cards in life. Yondu was determined that the kid would have a better childhood than he had had-even if it was an unorthodox one.

Kraglin surreptitiously pulled the kid aside later and asked him what had happened, which Yondu chose to ignore. Although he was a bit offended at the younger man’s lack of faith in his parenting skills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I'd love to know what you guys think :) You guys have all been leaving such sweet comments and I really appreciate them. Thanks for being so swell!


	5. Chapter 5

Yondu really should have made a rule against Peter going in the vents after the first incident. It hadn’t really crossed his mind, since he’d been more preoccupied with Peter being hurt, and then dealing with the fact he'd been playing with a blaster. Still, though, he should have addressed the hiding in the vents.

Since that day, Yondu spent half of his time pulling the kid outta the damn things. He’d tried asking him nicely to stay away, which had been met with an equally polite,

“No, thanks, Papa.” When that had failed, he’d tried bribery. If Peter stayed out of the vents for the entire day, he could have a new toy. Yeah, Peter had shrugged his shoulders and promptly decided the offer wasn’t worth it. Finally, Yondu had resorted to giving him time-outs every time he found the kid up there, which was getting to be exhausting. Peter was sitting in the corner for the fourth time that day, and they were both fed up.

“Come on out, kid,” Yondu sighed. Pouting, Peter slowly walked over him and reached up for a hug. Even while upset, the kid would never refuse a hug. “Whatchu like about the vents so much, hm?” Yondu asked softly, lifting him into his lap. “I just don’t get it. They’re dangerous, Petey. Lots of drop-offs, some places they get real hot, and others they get real cold.” Peter sighed, frowning. He didn’t seem angry, just... frustrated?

“Like playing up there,” Peter admitted. Yondu snorted. He’d known that. This morning, he’d caught the kid ‘spying’ on the crew in the vents above the bridge. “But... ‘s safe. Only I can fit,” he explained. Yondu let out a breath. Of course the kid felt safe in the vents. He was surrounded by a crew of terrifying, often cruel Ravagers. Yondu had done his best to make the crew either treat Peter kindly or ignore him, but even well-intended jokes often scared the shit out of the kid. No one else hung out in the vents- it was Peter’s safe haven.

“That makes sense,” Yondu said after a moment, nodding. “Let’s make a deal. I’ll letcha go in the vents when you want, _provided_ that you ask me before, and you come out when I call. Sound fair?” Peter buried his face in Yondu’s chest and hugged him.

“Thank you, Papa,” he said exuberantly. Yondu chuckled, carding a hand through his hair.

“You’re welcome, son.” The vents still weren’t a great place for a child, but he wasn’t going to deny the kid access to the one place he felt safe on the ship. Perhaps he could get Kraglin to block off the more dangerous areas...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, sorry this is so short. I have several one-shots like this written up, and I'm working on another story for this series, but as far as chapters for this specific work, I'm losing my muse a bit. If I can't get something more substantial up this week, I'll upload one or two more of what I am deeming "baby chapters."  
> Also- I made a tumblr for this series! You can find it at <https://www.tumblr.com/blog/zardu-hasslefrau>  
> There's not a whole lot there, but I'm working on it. Come ask me questions, give me prompts/suggestions (seriously please do I need them) or just talk to me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late! I'll update more often this week to make up for it. This is the first chapter that isn't exactly in order- it's set right at the beginning of Peter's time on the Eclector.

Peter might have become comfortable around Yondu and Kraglin, but the rest of the crew scared the shit out of him. He was fine if he was in Kraglin’s lap or holding onto Yondu’s coat, but if they weren’t in the immediate vicinity, he freaked out. It had seemed normal for a few days, but this morning marked two weeks since he’d come, and Peter still refused to leave Yondu’s lap during breakfast.  


“Peter, they’re crew. You ain’t gotta like ‘em, but you gotta be around them. They ain’t gonna hurt you,” Yondu said exasperatedly. Peter mumbled something. “Huh?”  


“They said they’d eat me if I wasn’t buh-haved,” he whispered. Yondu was torn between wanting to laugh or be angry. The crew was joking; as little morals as they had, none of them would ever think about eating a child- but Peter didn’t know that. What must have been stated as a simple joke had been preying on the kid for days.  


“Petey, no one’s gonna eat you, got it? The crew was just joking- they’re too stupid to tell funny jokes. They ain’t gonna hurtcha,” Yondu promised.  


“What if I’m bad?” Yondu made a face- he didn’t like the word used in connection with children, even if Peter only meant to describe mild misbehavior. It reminded him of his childhood in slavery- the simplest mistakes meant you were ‘bad’ and were punished harshly.  


“If you’re naughty, then I’ll punish you. Regardless, no one is gonna eat or hurt you,” he said firmly. Peter eyed him suspiciously.  


“What if they do hurt me?” Yondu thought for a moment. _What could he say to make the kid feel safe?_  


“Well, then you bite ‘em and scream as loud as you can. Sound good?” Peter nodded confidently. He felt a lot better after having come up with a contingency plan.  


Soon, he was comfortable scampering around the ship by himself, sometimes shadowing the engine crew, sometimes running around the bridge. He even spent time in the mess with Cook, who took a liking to the boy. Peter usually returned from the kitchens hopped up on sugar, but Yondu was just glad he was getting comfortable. Constantly supervising the kid was getting a little exhausting.  


Three days later, when Tullk called him a brat for flinging food at lunch, Peter ran at him, hollering at the top of his lungs. Tullk, who’d grown up with lots of brothers and sisters, merely extended a hand in front of him, watching with some amusement as Peter continued to try and run at him, his head impeded by Tullk’s hand. After just a minute or two, the kid flopped to the ground, exhausted.  


“You done?” Tullk asked mildly. Peter nodded. Tullk helped him up amicably enough, and Peter, apparently having forgiven him, collapsed against the older Ravager.  


“What the hell, Peter?” Kraglin asked, perplexed. He’d watched the whole exchange. He hadn’t seen Peter pull something like that since his first day on the ship. Peter shrugged.  


“I was doin’ what 'Ondu said. If someone tries ta hurt me, I gotta bite ‘n scream at ‘em,” he explained. Tullk snorted.  


“I didn’t touch you, Pete.” Peter rolled his eyes.  


“No, but you hurted my feelings. ‘M not a brat!”  
Kraglin left the room to laugh for several minutes while Tullk explained that he was just teasing the kid. After composing himself, Kraglin dragged Peter to see Yondu. Yondu stifled a grin once he’d heard the full story from Kraglin.  


“Tha’s my fault,” Yondu admitted. “We never went over what kind of ‘hurt’ justified a fit like that.” They had a far more detailed conversation after that (“No, Peter, Kraglin lightly flicking you on the ear does not mean you can bite him!”).  


Before he left, Kraglin gave Yondu a shit-eating grin. You chose this, he seemed to be saying silently, since he’d never dare say the words aloud. Yondu rolled his eyes and shot him the bird when Peter wasn’t looking.  


Peter seemed somewhat emboldened by his exchange with Tullk, so while he could no longer plead ignorance over when he was and was not allowed to “go feral,” as Kraglin called it, he had made a new friend.  


He made a lot of new friends over the next couple of days. With Tullk’s friendship came Hedge, and Exel, and Fordin. Yondu could leave him with the crew for a bit without having to bully Kraglin into watching him, which was convenient. It was becoming increasingly clear that while Kraglin liked the kid, he needed to take him in small doses. Even when Peter was behaving, the constant questions and messes that naturally accompanied Peter drove Kraglin crazy.  


Many of the other Ravagers, older than Kraglin and even Yondu, had had children on one planet or another. Some of them sent gifts, letters, or trinkets to them when they got the chance, but most of them were estranged. Peter was a refreshing, though sometimes painful reminder of what they’d lost. Ultimately, he wasn't just Yondu's responsibility- they all looked out for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The part about Tullk blocking Peter running at him seemed really awkwardly phrased to me- sorry about that. I was trying to describe that thing where a short person runs at a tall person and the tall person just kinda pushes against their head to keep them from being able to get close, but I don't know if that was clear. If not, I can try to rephrase it. I literally spent such a long time on Google trying to find a term or succinct way to describe that, but I found nothing lol.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just say, from the bottom of my heart, my bad for not updating in so long. I started college, and it's been an awesome experience, but I stay super busy. That being said, I'm gonna do my best to update... well, not regularly, but more often.

Yondu figured he’d been doing a pretty good job as a parent, for someone who’d been parentless since the age of seven.  
That’s what he was to Peter, really. As much as he tried to delude himself, he’d taken on responsibility for the kid- hell, the boy called him ‘Papa.’ Yondu didn’t mind it as much as he thought he would. It was kinda nice- most of the time. 

“Papa,” Peter whined, pressing his face into his coat.

“Whassa matter, son?” Yondu asked him gruffly. It was a little less nice to be hearing Peter call him this early in the morning. The kid was naturally an early riser, but 5:30 was a little ridiculous, even for him.

“Feel yucky,” he moaned. Yondu felt his forehead and frowned. Terrans ran cooler than Centaurians, but Peter seemed warmer than usual. Was he sick? But why would-?  
Oh, shit. 

Yondu figured he’d been doing a pretty good job as a parent, except he’d forgotten to get his kid fucking vaccinated. 

“Come on, Petey, Doc’ll get you feeling better,” he said, trying to keep worry out of his tone. There were a hundred and one viruses Peter could have caught after being introduced to space, and he hadn’t been vaccinated against a single one. He scooped the kid in his arms and carried him to the medbay. “Kid’s sick,” he said plainly, setting him gently on one of the beds. Doc jumped up from where he was seated, grabbing a scanner. Yondu watched anxiously as Doc ran it over Peter. 

“We’re in luck,” Doc said, letting out a little sigh of relief- as much relief at Peter's safety as for his own. “Kid’s just got a cold. Low-grade fever, aches, sniffles. He’ll be fine in less than a week.” Yondu let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“You got anything you can give him?” he asked. Doc squinted. 

“Nothing I feel comfortable with, no. He’s so little, I’d want to give him something specifically for kids. Something Xandarian, maybe.” Yondu nodded. He’d expected that. 

“We’ll head to Xandar.” He picked Peter up, who’d been fiddling with the end of Yondu’s coat. 

“I’m sick?” he asked curiously. 

“Just a little bit,” Yondu said. “We’ll get you feeling better soon,” he promised. “Doc,” he called on the way out of the room, “do me a favor.”

“Sure, Captain,” the man said. 

“Make an appointment there for Pete. We gotta get him vaccinated.”

“Point-mint?” Peter asked curiously. “What’s that?” Yondu forced a smile onto his face. 

“A doctor’s appointment! They’ll get you feeling better in no time!” Peter froze. 

“A doctor... Like, a hospital?” he asked cautiously. Yondu nodded slowly. 

“Um, yeah.” Then Peter absolutely lost his shit. 

“No! No! I don’t wanna go to the hospital! No, no, no!” he screamed, tears streaming down his face. 

“Pete, it’s fine! Nothing bad’s gonna happen, I promise!” Yondu said desperately. “They won’t hurt you or nothin’.” Peter continued to cry loud, heartbreaking sobs as Yondu scooped him up in his arms.

“I wanna stay with you,” he cried. Yondu rubbed his back, trying in vain to soothe him. 

“I’ll be with you the whole time, boyo, I promise. They’ll get you feeling better, then I bet they’ll give ya a treat. How’s that sound?” 

“Why can’t Doc help me?” Peter asked in a small voice. “I don’t wanna go to the hospital.” Yondu sighed. 

“Sorry buddy. Doc don’t have stuff for little guys like you. But we’ll go to the doctor and we’ll get it done quick, all right?” Peter nodded into his chest, though he continued crying. Yondu was absolutely baffled over his reaction. This wasn’t just a tantrum; Peter was scared- but of what, Yondu had no idea. Didn't they have hospitals on Terra? Maybe they were terribly medieval

They got to Xandar within a few hours. The whole time, Peter stayed in Yondu’s arms, refusing to be put down. He cried nearly the entire trip- the longest fit Yondu had witnessed by far. He felt extraordinarily helpless. How was he supposed to calm the kid if he didn’t even know what was wrong? Yondu's assurances of how nice the doctor would be and how much better Peter would feel afterwards didn't seem to help.

“Okay, buddy, we’re here,” Yondu said, again faking cheerfulness. 

“I don’t wanna go,” Peter said with a pitiful little sniffle. 

“I know, buddy, I know. But once it’s over you’ll feel so much better!” Peter wasn’t fooled by Yondu’s enthusiasm. Not even a little. 

Checking into the doctor’s office went about as well as Yondu expected it to go, which was to say, not at all. Peter continued to cry all throughout the process and while they waited. He felt awful for the kid, and like a bit of a failure for not being able to calm him down more. 

“Peter Quill?” the nurse called, and Yondu jumped up in relief. Finally, they could get it over with and get Peter feeling better. Yondu was sure that whatever distaste Peter had for hospitals was being compounded by his cold. 

They followed the nurse to a room where the doctor was thankfully already waiting. 

“You must be Peter’s father. It’s nice to meet you both!” The doctor was a pink-skinned woman with long hair, and didn’t look at all perturbed at Peter’s tears. “I hear you’re not feeling too well, are you buddy?” Peter shook his head miserably. “That’s okay; we’re going to get you all better. I’m going to run my scanner over you, and it’ll tell us what’s wrong and how I can fix it, all right?” 

Yondu was impressed with how well she dealt with Peter. She seemed a natural. Unfortunately, Peter didn’t appreciate her efforts nearly so much. He squirmed and whined while she checked him over. “Okay! It looks like you just have a little cold- no big deal. I’ll give you some medicine to help with the symptoms, but it will be good for his body to fight off the cold. As for vaccines, there’s one main one we can give him today, and then he’ll need to come back at six years old for a follow up. All right?” The last part was directed at Yondu. He groaned inwardly, because he knew what was coming. The doctor chuckled. 

“I don’t wanna bax-een!” Peter sniffled. Yondu sighed. 

“It’ll be just like when we got the translator put in, a little hurt and then it’s over. Remember?” Yondu said encouragingly. 

“But the translator hurt!” Peter protested. The doctor smiled gently at him. 

“This first round of vaccinations actually comes in the form of a chewable tablet- no shots necessary,” the doctor assured them. 

“Hear that, Pete?” Yondu said. “Eat a little pill, then we’ll head home. Easy enough, right?” Peter cocked his head to the side, looking at Yondu strangely. 

“We’ll go home?” he asked hesitantly. Yondu nodded, frowning. 

“Of course we’re going home. What did you think we were doing?” Peter’s little brow was furrowed, and Yondu would have found it cute if the kid didn’t seem so genuinely troubled. 

“Mama went to the hospital, and then she died.” That revelation hit Yondu like a ton of bricks.

_Holy shit. Holy fucking shit._

Peter hadn’t just been nervous to go to the hospital. He’d thought he was going to fucking _die._

“You thought you were going to die?” Yondu croaked out after a moment. Peter nodded. The doctor had the good sense to leave the room for the moment. 

“I’m not?” he checked. Yondu gathered Peter closer in his lap, pressing him to his chest. He felt like he needed the comfort just as much as Peter did. 

“Hell no, no way, you are not dying! Not now and not anytime soon, you got that?” Yondu said vehemently. Peter nodded, letting out a big sigh. “Why did you... I told you we were goin’ to the doctor so you’d feel better,” Yondu said weakly. Peter shrugged. 

“They said Mama would feel better after she died.” 

“Aw, kiddo,” Yondu said. He hadn’t really known how to help Peter deal with grieving his mother, so they hadn’t discussed it much. When Peter cried about missing her, Yondu comforted him, but he didn’t have much to say other than ‘I’m sorry she’s gone.’ Then he usually offered a distraction in the form of a toy or ice cream.  
Maybe that had been a colossal parenting fuck-up. 

“People don’t go to hospitals to die, buddy. Your Mama was really, really sick, and the doctors didn’t have the right medicine to help her, so she died. But you’re a different kind of sick- just a tiny bit sick. Even if we didn’t get you medicine, you’d be okay. Your body can fight off all kinds of sickness on its own.” Peter nodded, then frowned. 

“So why’d we have to go to the hospital?” He sounded so exasperated that Yondu threw his head back and laughed. 

“I just wanted to make sure you were only a little sick. Plus, that vaccination the doctor’s gonna give you is gonna help make sure you don’t get really sick. Sound good?” Peter nodded tiredly. Grappling with his own mortality had worn him out. The doctor, who’d undoubtedly been listening at the door, took this opportunity to reenter with the vaccine pill. 

“Here you go! You swallow this and you can be on your way, okay Peter?” Peter nodded, happily accepting the tablet. 

“It tastes like cherry!” he exclaimed. Yondu wasn’t sure what a ‘cherry’ was, but he chalked it up to being a Terran thing. Or a toddler thing. Or a Peter thing. Most days, he couldn't tell the difference. The doctor pulled out a basket of stickers for Peter to choose from while beckoning Yondu aside.  
He sighed. He really wasn’t in the mood to shoot anyone today, but if she was going to start questioning his relation to Peter...

“I took the liberty of compiling a list of child grief therapists; I hope you don’t mind,” she said, handing him a piece of paper. He blinked, barely glancing at it. 

“Huh. Uh, yeah, thanks.” She smiled. 

“You’re new to it all, right?” she asked. He nodded carefully. 

“Yeah. I, uh, adopted him a couple months back, right after his mama passed away.” She nodded. 

“A lot of parents have trouble explaining death to their children. There’s no shame in getting outside help to help him in processing that,” she said sincerely. Yondu nodded, awkwardly scratching his head. 

“Right. Well, uh, I better get the kid home, then.” He scooped Peter up, who had finally decided on a sticker featuring a smiling moon. 

“Bye-bye! Thanks for not making me dead!” Peter called to the doctor as they left the room. Yondu winced as he caught questioning stares from the surrounding nurses and technicians. He really hoped they understood the universal truth that sometimes kids say weird shit.  
He hugged Peter extra tightly as they left Xandar. Fuck. The kid had thought he was going to die- thought Yondu was taking him to his death. Peter was getting two scoops of ice cream after dinner that night.  
Maybe three. 

 

“He thought what?” Kraglin half-shouted once he'd heard the entire story. Yondu nodded grimly. Kraglin let out a sigh. “Aw, hell, sir, lemme hold him for a bit, would ya?” Yondu raised an eyebrow. Kraglin liked the kid okay, but he wasn’t big on physical contact- he tolerated Peter’s incessant hugs, but generally didn’t enjoy them. 

“You want me to hand him over to you, willingly, while he’s still leaking snot out of his nose?” Yondu asked skeptically. Kraglin blushed even as he grimaced. 

“I just wanna hug him for a bit, all right? Kid’s four years old, thinkin’ he was gonna die. It ain’t right,” Kraglin muttered. Yondu smirked a bit, but it faded into a small smile of understanding. 

“Yeah, okay,” he said, handing Peter over. “Don’t take him too far. I wanna keep him close for a while.” Kraglin nodded. 

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi so I don't usually write things this sad but I started thinking about how Meredith's death might have affected Peter's views on hospitals and deaths and there have been some requests for sick Peter so this chapter happened. Probably not what you were expecting so if you guys want a more traditional sick fic I can try and make that happen.   
> Sorry again for the long hiatus; I'll try to update much sooner next time.

**Author's Note:**

> I have several chapters and/or one-shots written in this universe, so please review! If there's anything in particular you'd like to see, just let me know. I live for comments! This work is unedited, so if you catch any mistakes, feel free to let me know. Also- not sure how I feel about the title, so if anyone has suggestions, let me know!


End file.
